Traditional reclining and/or rocking chairs are often large, heavy chairs that take up significant room. They also often have large housings that extend substantially to the floor to hide bulky mechanisms that provide the rocking and/or reclining action of the chairs. Such chairs often have extendible leg rests or supports which have bulky mechanisms, which again must be hidden in the large housings of the chair for aesthetic purposes and to hide potential pinch points from users.
In more recent times, lighter weight reclining lounge chairs have become available that do not have the large housings. Such chairs are generally mounted on pedestals. However, those chairs often have basic mechanisms that only provide limited functionality in the chair. Those reclining chairs have a less than optimal relationship between the seat and back. When the back of the chair is reclined, the relationship between the seat and back will generally be such that the user will not be comfortable in the chair, particularly over long periods. Such chairs also do not have built in extendible leg rests or supports, due to the lack of housing to hide the mechanisms of such supports. A purchaser generally needs to buy a separate stool or ottoman, if they want a leg support to match their chair.
Typical recliner mechanisms move the seat predominantly forward, so require a tension adjustment of the recline mechanism or a user activated recline lever to suit different user body sizes.
Some chairs have head rests or supports that are adjustable in position to suit a user. Most head rests can be raised or lowered in height relative to a chair back. Some can also be adjusted horizontally. Traditional head rests require the use of two separate actuators to initially adjust the vertical position of the head rest and then adjust the horizontal position of the head rest. This means the head rest adjustment is a two step process, and reduces the likelihood of the headrest position being adjusted. As a result, people may be inclined to use the head rests in a less than optimal position. Often, the user will not be able to adjust the head rest whilst seated due to high friction mechanisms and twin action adjusters, which means the user cannot switch between different head rest positions as needed when moving the chair between upright and reclined positions or when changing between tasks such as watching television and working on a laptop computer.
Some chairs have adjustable foot or leg rest arrangements. However, those arrangements typically only provide two or three discrete adjustment positions. A user may not be provided with optimal comfort with that restricted number of adjustment positions.
It is an object of at least preferred embodiments of the present invention to provide a chair or support that addresses at least one of the disadvantages outlined above, or that at least provides the public with a useful choice.